The Paradox of the Madrox
by Jesus.Lives
Summary: Set directly post-series. Roberto mocks Jamie about his failed date with Kitty until Rahne intervenes. Some Rahne/Jamie & Roberto/Rahne depending on how you take it.
1. Chapter 1

**Note:**

_It's a drabble set post-series and is inspired by the _

_Jamie/Kitty 'not a date' from the episode Self Possessed._

_There is also a link to a cool _**_X-men Evo RP site_**_ in my profile. Check it out._

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**The Paradox of the Madrox**

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"She said you were 12 years old" Roberto pulled himself out of the water and turned back with a cocky smile, just in time to see the expression fall on each one of the 17 Jamies' faces before the tower of Jamie Madroxes fell into the water with a loud splash.

Absorbing the dupes with a very disgruntled look, the now 15 year-old Jamie Madrox swam over to the other end of the pool and pulled himself out. "It was a term of endearment" he covered lamely, thinking that if he told himself that enough that he'd really believe it.

"Yeah, because every girl wants to date a 12 year old."

"Yeh're giving dating advice again Roberto? Are ye sure you're the expert in that particular field?" Came a voice to their side. Rahne Sinclair had been back only a few days now and was surprised at how much had changed in the Institute. Of course, some things stayed the same (Roberto's ego) but there was a different air to the place after the battle with Apocalypse. A lot of growing up was done, it seemed... and she'd missed it all.

"Why would I be?" The hot-head defended, trying to hide a blush.

"Ah just haven't heard of yeh having a good track record. If any at all." She smirked. Of course, getting Roberto to second guess himself was as easy as it had always been.

Jamie felt like going and embracing the girl just for making the boy that he'd been forced into making his confidant eat his own words.

"I have a track record. It just isn't well known." Roberto tried to explain as smoothly as he could but it ended up coming out with a questioning tone, as if he needed the confirmation from either Rahne or Jamie that he was in fact, correct with this.

"I don't think I've seen you go on a date in a while..." Jamie mused.

"You wouldn't know. You came running to me telling me you had a 'date' with Kitty and you needed help and it wasn't even a date."

Rahne pursed her lips wondering if she needed to come to any sort of defence of the younger boy, who didn't seem to need any help. He clapped his hands twice and duplicates appeared at his sides. "It was a date, I have witnesses."

"You can't count yourself as a witness."

"Ah'm sure Jamie could find other witnesses" Rahne finally stepped forward and out of her silence exchanging a grin with Jamie.

"It just hardly sounded like a date from what you told me about it" Roberto pointed out, determined to save face in front of the two that seemed to be ganging up on him.

"I did everything you told me to!" Jamie protested. This was unfair, Roberto was supposed to be a living step-by-step guide to the boy and now he was claiming that he was reading it... err... him wrong?

"The end of date kiss, it's the closer. It's not a date without that."

Rahne rolled her eyes, wondering just what it was she'd walked into here. Jamie clearly didn't have anything to say to that besides getting a defeated look on his face which caused Rahne's heart to drop down to the shoes that she wasn't even wearing at the moment. She hesitated and then carefully worded; "Jamie. Would yeh like to go on a date with me sometime? Ah can't promise Ah'll be like Kitty but it could be fun."

"What are you doing?" Roberto blurted out, his cool facade lost for a moment.

"Ah'm making sure Jamie has a real date without your timely wisdom. If that's alright with ye."

"Sure" The youngest of them agreed easily, grin widening. He put out a hand to Rahne and she grabbed it as they swiftly left the pool area trying to keep their faces straight until they were far enough from Roberto to break out laughing. "That was great!"

"Ah think he had it coming. Ah guess some things never change."

Jamie giggled a little bit longer at the recent memory of Roberto's face at the idea of him going on a date with Rahne before the laughter died down. It wasn't that far fetched was it? In the case of a real date that was, and not whatever it was that Kitty gave him that night. "So um..." he cleared his throat attempting to broach the awkward topic of how real it actually was. "Did you mean it? You don't have to go out on a date with me if you didn't want to."

"Ah'd be honored." Her voice didn't waver in the slightest. Jamie could almost believe the truth in that statement.

"So... Friday?"

"Sure. Ah'm new in town, ah guess ah could do with a catch up." She placed a hand on his shoulder before patting down on it and releasing.

"And this time I won't even have to borrow Roberto's suit! ... right?"

She shook her head. "Ah like what yeh usually wear."

"Alright then" He clapped his hands together again, duplicates forming and hurriedly absorbed them again. "Friday. It's a date."

She looked completely unperturbed as she gestured for him to enter the mansion before her, towel around his neck. "Ah'll be looking forward to it."

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	2. Chapter 2

**Note:**

_Another reminder to swing by the_**_ X-men RP_**_ linked on my profile page. _

_I always like people saying 'hi'._

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_On with the show..._

**The Paradox of the Madrox**

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"You have to kiss him, I hope you know that. And I'm going to have to get details from both of you in case Jamie is lying." A disgruntled Roberto sat in the Xavier Institute's rec. room, trying not to scowl at Rahne, who was dressed in jeans and a brown top ready to go out.

An eyebrow quirked upward at his words, _details? Really?_ "Ah dinnae know yeh were that hard up for entertainment Roberto. But ah guess we could wait until we got back to try that, what was it? End of date 'closer' in front of yeh." She tried to bring his words back around on him which seemed to have worked by the way he hurriedly blurted out, "No!"

Really, if it was anyone else but Rahne, Roberto would probably want to be privy to it just to sweeten the deal (and throw the mood by making catcalls or something of that nature) but where Rahne was concerned, it was different. And especially the thought of it being with Jamie of all people. Not to get him wrong, Roberto thought Jamie was a great guy, but if Jamie Madrox could get a girl that he failed to date years ago (though she was most definitely interested, it just never panned out), well the Roberto didn't want to know about it (or even think about it).

When Jamie joined them, just dressed in jeans and a red sweater himself, he surveyed the scene in front of him. A little paranoid thought triggered in the back of his mind that he might be interrupting something, but he ignored it, not wanting to ruin this 'date' before it had even begun. "Hi. So we're ready to go?" He greeted both of them but addressed the question only to Rahne (unless Roberto was now joining them on this date which he sincerely hoped was not the case).

"Of course. Roberto and ah were just... finishing up" she shot the darker skinned boy a disapproving look before linking arms with Jamie and steering him from the room.

As soon as they got outside immediately they fell into silence until Jamie had to speak up. "You didn't have to go through all this just to get Roberto back for me. I could have done it on my own." He pictured himself rubbing his hands together gleefully as his duplicates marched him unto the roof and threw him off it in the middle of the night. Alright. That would be going a little too far (which is why he never would have said it aloud) but the point was made. Jamie was no stranger to getting revenge, he was just crafty about it. And Roberto wasn't such a bad guy after all, as he did loan Jamie his suit.

Pressing her lips together Rahne thought before speaking. "Ah don't think this night should have anything to do with Roberto." It was her way of not-quite saying that she wanted to do this date thing for herself, maybe wanted to do it for some time but Jamie knew he was just being hopeful with assuming that. There was no evidence to suggest she liked him as more than a friend... though they always had a good time together. She understood him better than the others. There was no denying that. And when Rahne was around, Jamie never felt left out or like he was stuck competing with the other students.

"I missed you" Jamie spoke very quietly, the air seemed tense. Not like with his 'date' with Kitty where he felt under pressure to give her a good time. That somehow that would seal the deal for him (that's what Roberto had told him anyway). This time Jamie didn't know just what to do, he didn't have a set plan like with Kitty - he was flying blind here, so he settled on just being honest. "I mean, things were great and we restored the mansion and beat the bad guys and all that. Danger room sessions continued. We even went away on this cruise!" Now he was getting a little to excited to make him point, "but it wasn't the same."

Not only had a lot happened to him when she was away, a lot had happened to her. She learnt the hard way that acceptance from being a mutant would only come from one place... here. But she didn't want to think of what happened when the news got out in her small town in Scotland about what she was and what she'd been doing in America. She was putting that behind her. And as soon as she was old enough to make her own choices, and her parents saw that they had made the wrong one in making her leave, she came back. "Ah guess when you're away for a long time, yeh really start to notice what means the most to yeh." The Institute meant the most to her, using her powers for good meant the most to her... and Jamie meant the most to her. All the other friends at the Institute were also on the list, but somehow didn't rank as high as that top three.

She brought her arm down from their linked state to pull his hand into hers. A simple, quiet gesture that she hoped would mean that she wouldn't have to be forced to give him a written list of those things that she missed the most when she was gone. "But yeh've grown" she finally pointed out. She didn't mean in terms of his height, though he was a little taller than her this time, but still shorter than most other boys they knew. She meant in terms of his maturity. It was a difference she could smell, which was a hard thing to explain but the truth nonetheless.

"Um thanks?" He assumed it was a compliment, but you never could tell with some people. "Uh, you too." He blushed. He had an aptitude of picking the wrong things to say on a date that was for sure. He _really_ needed someone to throw him a plan here.

Grinning she just squeezed his hand as they continued on to their location and Jamie felt relief wash over his body. Perhaps he didn't need a plan after all. Not when his old friend had a knack for putting people at ease and having no pressure just made it even better. Supposing this was what dates were supposed to be like after all, things just might go well.

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_(I was inspired to do more. I have ideas to go further when I'm not being lazy.)_

_--TBC?--_


End file.
